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Old 02-20-2011, 08:08 PM   #50
graham christian
Dojo: golden center aikido-highgate
Location: london
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,697
England
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Re: Really, grab my wrist!

Quote:
Mark Gibbons wrote: View Post
Thinking back over the times I've been involved in serious wrist grabbing I was wondering if aikido folks are really ready to have someone grab their wrists with serious intent.

The few times I've seen wrists grabbed in ernest the main idea was to block a punch, stop the attacker from hitting someone and then use the wrist grab to hurt the attacker, swinging the attacker into railings, walls, stairs, other attackers or moving into some sort of lock.

Notice that the attacker is the one being grabbed and the person grabbing is the one throwing or locking. That's just a bit different from what I've seen practiced at the dozen or so dojos I've hung around at. It is common however in places I've trained at that nage is the aggressor. It's just that defenders in real life, my personal experience, are a lot more proactive about doing something than aikido ukes,

I think the joke about what we can do to someone that grabs a wrist is really just a joke. Try something and most people will just let go.
Someone that come out of the blue grabs your arm and swings you into a wall. I haven't seen anything like that trained for.

Just something I've been ruminating about.
Mark
Mark, seems I owe you an apology for joining in on what was basically off topic too. So I have come back to the origin.

When you think about it there are many situations in life when you could be grabbed by the wrist(s). It's the favorite method of doormen and security, it's favoured by groups of muggers, it's favoured by people who think they are much stronger and bigger than you, (especially bullies) it's favoured by someone trying to pull you somewhere. Etc.

Now here's the main point. In Aikido if you ask someone, or if you try it for yourself, what they don't like about being grabbed and held what do they say? What does it represent in their mind?

It represents being trapped. They fight to get out of the hold, out of being trapped. Yet Aikido is teaching Harmony, how to harmonize with being trapped.

When I grab a students wrist and he tries to get out of it I ask him or her why?

You see the person being grabbed is then fighting the grab. They are automatically resisting it and fighting it and are thus trapping theirself in it. When I tell them this rule: 'That which is trapped leave it alone' they generally at first have a hard time doing it but when they do they experience a kind of freedom.

In other words if someone grabs your wrist let them have your wrist, whatever part they grab let them have it. Guess what, when you do this you suddenly become aware of the multitude of things you can do other than fight with the hold.

So it leads to a principle you can apply to all sorts of holds where you dont fight or resist the hold and thus see many escape routes.

Regards.G.

Last edited by graham christian : 02-20-2011 at 08:10 PM. Reason: spelling
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